Insecurity
by Ability King KK
Summary: Everyone knows Ember McLain as the loud, abrasive rock diva who hates authority, but when Danny Phantom inadvertently brings out a more insecure side of the flaming beauty during their first meeting...What could this lead to for the two ghostly teens?


**Considering what Ember was like when she was alive and how she died, I could see this as a possibility.**

**-:-**

Danny was pissed. Not only did this rock diva use a love spell to make him fall in love with his best friend, but he had to watch said best friend kiss his bully of all people. He might have to check on Sam later to make sure her IQ didn't drop because of that. For now though, he had a fiery-haired ghost girl to deal with.

"Man, I thought you'd have better aim than that, Ember!" taunted Danny as he dodged a green energy fist.

Ember let out a growl as she glared at the halfa. "Hold still, dipstick!"

"Now you know very well I won't be doing that!"

With a yell, Ember sent another volley of energy attacks at Danny, only for Danny to dodge.

"It's actually kinda sad that it's come down to this for you!" stated Danny. "Don't you think, Ember?"

"What the hell are you talking about?!" demanded the ghost girl as she kept up her attacks. Her eyes were currently red with rage, as she wanted nothing more than to destroy this dipstick for ruining her concert and her plans on brainwashing the world.

Despite his current anger towards her, Danny decided to speak the truth as he continued to dodge. "I just think it's sad that you need to resort to brainwashing people to make them like your music! I've actually listened to your CD and your music is really amazing and you have a beautiful singing voice! Brainwashing people though is like you're admitting you're not good enough to be a rock star even though you're the complete opposite!"

It was true, too. Thanks to his other best friend Tucker, Danny has listened to Ember's music and he was surprised that it really was pretty amazing. He wouldn't call himself a fanatic like Tucker or the other kids at school, but Danny would gladly say he enjoys her music.

When he was done speaking, it took Danny a few seconds to realize that Ember's attacks had stopped. Looking over to where she was, he raised an eyebrow when he noticed the stunned look on her face. Staying on guard, Danny made his way over to Ember see what happened.

"Ember?"

"Wh-What did you say about my m-music?"

Blinking in confusion, he again told her the truth. "I said that your music is really amazing and that you don't need to brainwash people to get them to like you."

He watched as her eyes widened, almost as if his words shocked her. She then stepped back away from him as if she was afraid. He tried to reach out to her, but she disappeared in a whirl of blue flames.

"…What was that about?" questioned Danny, unsure of what he just witnessed. His attention soon went to the concertgoers as their groans caught his ears.

"Ugh, what happened? I thought we were here for a concert?" spoke one teen as Ember's spell was wearing off on all of them.

Danny knew he probably shouldn't care, but his conscience told him otherwise. With a sigh, he made his way over to the microphone.

"Attention, concertgoers! I regret to inform you that Ember McLain will NOT be performing tonight due to an emergency call she received earlier this evening," stated Danny.

The teens all let out groans of disappointment. One teen then spoke up. "Are we going to get a refund?"

"The tickets were free, remember," said Danny in a deadpan tone.

Another groan came from the teens before they started to file out of the arena. Once they were all gone, Sam and Tucker made their way to Danny.

"Okay, Danny, what the hell was that?" questioned Sam, giving him a narrowed look.

"What was what?"

"Everything! Ember just suddenly disappears and then you cover for her?"

Danny rubbed the back of his head. "I'm honestly just as confused as you are, Sam. I have no idea why Ember suddenly left like she was afraid."

"And covering for her just now?" asked Tucker with a raised eyebrow.

The halfa could only let out a sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Sometimes my conscience can be very loud."

Sam and Tucker could only glance at each other before accepting that, begrudgingly in Sam's case. The three friends then made their way back home.

Meanwhile, back in her realm…

Ember was pacing back and forth, having a mild crisis over what happened earlier.

"D-Did he really mean that? Is my music really that amazing without b-brainwashing people?" questioned Ember. She then blushed slightly when she remembered something else he said.

"He said my voice was beautiful."

-:-

It was a few weeks later when Danny and Ember ran into each other again. Ember had joined forces with a child ghost by the name of Youngblood to take control of all of the adults (and adult-minded youths) in Amity Park.

"Avast ye scurvy dogs! Hop to it before I make you walk the plank!" exclaimed Youngblood.

Ember could only roll her eyes at the brat. He really loved getting into character. Then again, she was currently dressed up as a pirate as well.

"So, Captain, ready for the next part of the plan?" she asked, making her way over to the kid.

Youngblood gave off a grin while the skeleton parrot on his shoulder gave her a narrowed look.

"You bet! Once we get all of the mean adults here, my ship will run real smooth!"

"Really? That's why you've brainwashed all of the adults in town?" questioned a voice that confused Youngblood and made Ember go stiff.

Floating up above them was Amity Park's resident hero Danny Phantom, looking down at them with a narrowed look.

"What are you doing here, dipstick?!" demanded Ember, trying real hard not to blush in front of him. She still remembers his words from their first encounter.

"Ember, you brainwashed all of the adults," replied Danny in a deadpan tone. "I know adults can be aggravating at times. Hell, my parents and especially my sister can be really annoying, but that doesn't mean I want to see them get hurt! So I'm here to stop whatever plans you have cooking up!"

Youngblood pouted while Ember scowled. Youngblood sent his crew after Danny, but the halfa easily dispatched them much to the child's surprise.

"Hey! That's not fair!" exclaimed Youngblood, as Danny got closer.

When Danny got close enough he stopped when he noticed what Ember was wearing. Noticing that he was looking her over, Ember once again had to fight off a blush.

With a scowl, she spoke. "What the hell are you looking at, Baby-Pop?!"

He gave off a low whistle. "I have to say, Ember. You really pull off the pirate motif. It looks good on you. Maybe when you put out another CD you should wear that costume for the cover."

Ember's eyes widened at what Danny had said. This was the second time he caught her off guard and it scared her. Looking at him, she noticed the smile on his face. It wasn't a taunting smile like she expected. It…it was a genuine smile, as if he meant what he said. That scared her even more. She needed to leave. Now!

"Sh-Shut up!" exclaimed Ember before she disappeared in blue flames.

Danny and Youngblood stared at where Ember was just a second ago. Danny rubbed the back of his head, trying to figure out what was going on.

"Seriously? That's the second time she's run away. What's with that girl?"

"She's a traitor, that's what she is!" exclaimed Youngblood with a pout. "She abandoned ship and left her captain high and dry!"

Danny rolled his eyes at the child's tantrum as he watched all of the adults start to come to, Ember's spell no longer affecting them. He was about to leave when he noticed that Youngblood was still pouting. With a sigh, he walked over to the child.

"Hey, Youngblood."

"Go away!"

Danny raised an eyebrow, knowing how to get the kid to listen. He gave off a shrug. "Okay, if that's what you want. I was going to offer to get you some ice cream as an apology, but if you don't want some…"

Youngblood looked up at the teen with wide eyes. "Ice cream? I want some ice cream!"

"Captain, this could be a trick," stated the parrot.

"But I want ice cream! Give me ice cream!"

Danny could only grin. This kid wasn't so bad. He was just a kid who wanted to have some fun. "Well come on then. I know a place that's open twenty-four seven."

With a smile, Youngblood grabbed hold of Danny's hand and let the teen lead him to the ice cream parlor, much to the parrot's chagrin.

With Ember, she was curled up on her bed, under the covers as she tried desperately to forget about Phantom.

"He was lying. He had to be," muttered Ember. "H-He pretty much said I was attractive and no b-boy has ever s-seen me like that!"

Memories of when she was alive came to her mind and she hated them. Especially the memory of when she died.

She let out a whimper as she curled up tighter. She didn't want to relive that memory, to remember what that boy did to her that night. She didn't want to trust anyone because of what he did.

And yet, remembering the smile on Baby-Pop's face, she felt a warm sensation she hadn't felt in a long time.

-:-

Ember was currently strumming on her guitar, pissed at what had happened earlier. She, Kitty, and Spectra had gone to Amity Park with plans to banish all of the men, but Baby-Pop's sister, mother, and goth friend squashed those plans. Oh what she would give to get back at them, especially that goth!

Her inner rampage was interrupted when she heard voices just outside her realm door, followed by a knock. Putting her guitar down, she got up and made her way to the door. Opening it, she wasn't surprised to see Kitty, but was surprised by who was with her. The biker chick walked into the realm, followed by Danny Phantom who had Johnny 13 in a headlock.

"Wh-What the hell are you doing here, B-Baby-Pop?!" demanded Ember. She then sent a glare towards Kitty. "Why did you bring him here?!"

"He asked me to," was the answer Kitty gave.

"And you said yes?!"

"He found out what we did from that goth friend of his and he wasn't happy," replied Kitty with a shrug.

Ember looked over at Phantom, who still had the struggling Johnny in a headlock. Looking back at Kitty, she noticed that her friend wasn't injured whatsoever, confusing the rock diva even more.

"So wait, why is Johnny the one getting beaten up?"

"Because even I know Kitty only did what she did because Johnny did something stupid…again," replied Danny with a deadpan tone as he tightened his hold on Johnny.

"Gah! Come on, Phantom! It's not like that!" exclaimed Johnny, trying to free himself.

Danny glanced down at him before looking over at Kitty. "Kitty, would you have banished all of the men in Amity Park if Johnny didn't piss you off over something?"

"Nope!"

"My point stands then," said Danny.

"Phantom! I can't breath!"

Kitty let out a sigh. "Johnny, you're a ghost. You don't breath to begin with."

"That's not the point!"

"Oh for the love of…Danny, can you please let him go?" asked Kitty. It didn't take long for Danny to release Johnny, causing the biker ghost to drop to the floor. Kitty then gave the younger teen a beaming smile. "Thank you!"

Ember had a blank look on her face as she watched the scene. Watching Kitty and Phantom's interactions was stirring something up inside her and she didn't like it. With a scowl, she reminded them that she was still here.

"What the hell is going on?!"

Danny turned to her and gave her a narrowed look as he crossed his arms over his chest. She had to resist flinching back from that look.

"I should be the one asking questions here, Ember," said Danny. "I know why Kitty did what she did."

Johnny flinched when he felt Danny's gaze on him.

"And Spectra only got involved because, well, she's a bitch."

"No argument there," said Kitty.

"But why did you join in on the plan? What do you gain from banishing all of the men in town?" demanded the halfa as he looked into Ember's eyes.

The rock diva decided that she didn't like that look on Baby-Pop's face. It made her feel guilty and want to fidget. She would not give him the satisfaction.

"Just tell him, Em. I'm sure he'll understand," stated Kitty, wanting to help her friend.

Ember let out a groan. Why the hell was Kitty siding with Baby-Pop?! Scowling once more, she relented.

"If you really need to know, my stupid boyfriend pissed me off!"

Danny raised an eyebrow at this. He turned to Kitty to see if Ember was telling the truth. Seeing Kitty nod her head in agreement, he turned back to Ember.

"What exactly did he do?"

"He keeps ignoring me! He never listens to what I have to say and thinks everything I like is stupid! He doesn't even take me out anywhere and the few times we do go out it's always somewhere HE likes! It's like I don't even matter to him!" yelled out Ember, the start of tears coming to her eyes. She quickly wiped them away. "Stupid lousy hunter."

Upon hearing that last part, Danny gained a blank look. "Wait…"

He didn't get a chance to ask the question on his mind when there was a sudden banging on the door.

"Open up, woman! You owe me an apology for calling me a "lousy hunter"! Depending on how you apologize I might forgive you for your insolence!"

Danny stared at the door with wide eyes before turning back to Ember, who had her head down and fists clench. Despite her head being down, Danny could see the pain in her eyes. Turning back to the door, his eyes narrowed dangerously as he stomped towards it.

"Danny?" questioned Kitty, worried about that look he had.

Danny reached the door and opened it, not giving Skulker a chance to say anything. Blasting him with an ecto-blast and sending Skulker flying, Danny then flew after the hunter. Kitty and Johnny rushed to the door to watch, while Ember stood back, surprised that Baby-Pop would do that.

"What's going on?" questioned Ember.

"Phantom's kicking Skulker's ass and not letting up!" exclaimed Johnny.

"Skulker can't even retaliate!" added Kitty, watching the fight with interest.

The fight didn't last long. Skulker's armor was a mangled mess and Danny walked back in with a little green blob in his hand.

'_The hell?' _thought the three ghosts, wondering what the blob was.

"Curse you, whelp!" exclaimed the little blob in a high-pitched voice, as it glared up at the halfa. "When I rebuild my armor, I WILL have you pelt!"

It was quiet for but a few second before Kitty and Johnny burst out laughing.

"Is that really Skulker?!" questioned Johnny, laughing his ass off.

"Who would have thought he was compensating for something!" added Kitty, not hiding her giggles.

Skulker glared at the ghost couple, not noticing Ember stared at him with wide eyes.

"I'm guessing that you didn't know that this is what Skulker really looks like, huh?" asked Danny, looking at Ember.

Ember grit her teeth in anger as she glared at Skulker, who flinched back. "You lied me!"

"Your point, woman?" questioned Skulker. Unfortunately for him, he was still in Danny's hand. The halfa squeezed the blob, causing his eyes to bulge out.

"Watch what you say, Skulker. I'm not in a good mood right now," stated Danny, giving Skulker a glare. "Especially after having to deal with you earlier today."

"You fought Skulker earlier?" questioned Kitty.

Danny gave off a nod. "I was out fishing with my dad when Skulker came by, saying he got into a fight with his girlfriend. I thought he was making it up because how the hell does someone like Skulker get a girlfriend?"

"Whelp…" growled out Skulker, only to be squeezed again.

"And not only do I find out that he was telling the truth, but his girlfriend was you of all people," said Danny, looking at Ember.

The rock diva glared at Danny. "S-So what?! What's it matter to you if I was the one dating Skulker or not?!"

"Because you deserve better, Ember," replied Danny as if it were obvious.

Any anger Ember felt vanished and was replaced with confusion. She was honestly expecting him to make fun of her for dating Skulker or to say she deserved to be miserable. Hearing him say that she deserved better was unexpected. Kitty and Johnny apparently thought the same as they stared at Danny in surprise.

"Wh-What?"

"You heard me, Ember. Someone like you deserves better than Skulker. His arrogance and ego could give Plasmius a run for his money and considering your powers get stronger when people pay attention to you, why would you even want to be with someone who only cares about himself?"

Ember felt that warm sensation again. Danny's words were getting to her and looking into his eyes, she could see that he meant every single one of them.

"B-Baby-Pop…"

"Anyway, I'm going to go drop Skulker off at Walker's. Just remember what I said, Ember. You deserve better. You deserve to be happy," said Danny as he turned to leave. Before he could leave, Kitty called out to him.

"Danny, wait!" she then turned to Johnny. "Johnny, go with him."

"Huh? Why?"

"So no one gives him a hard time. Plus, I want to have some girl talk with Ember! Understand?"

He knew that tone. That tone meant no sex for a week if he didn't do what he was told.

"Alright, Phantom! Let's drop this little snot off at Walker's!"

Danny raised an eyebrow in confusion, but shrugged it off as he and Johnny left. Once the door was closed, Kitty turned to Ember, who was holding her ponytail nervously.

The biker chick crossed her arms and gave Ember an amused look. "So, when were you going to tell me you had a thing for Danny?"

"What?!" exclaimed Ember, her face blushing brightly. "I do NOT have a thing for Baby-Pop!"

Kitty merely rolled her eyes. "Are you kidding me, Em? There are so many signs saying otherwise."

"Oh yeah? Name one!"

"I'll name a few. For starters, you've been acting weird ever since your first visit to Amity Park and I know you ran into Danny back then."

"So what if I ran into Baby-Pop? That doesn't mean anything!"

"Sure it doesn't, but that does bring up my next point. Danny seems to be the only person you ever call "Baby-Pop". Everyone else is usually called "Dipstick"."

"Th-That's not true! I've called other people "Baby-Pop" before!"

"Name one."

"…"

"I thought so."

Ember glared at her friend. "Yeah, well, what about you?! It looked like you and Ba-Phantom were all buddy-buddy when you got here! How do I know you're the one with a thing for him?!"

"I don't. Johnny is and always will be my one and only. Of course, I did date Danny for a bit," replied Kitty, trying to keep the cat-like grin off her face.

The rock diva felt like she got hit with a bucket of ice water. "Wh-What?"

"Yup! Danny and I dated for a bit. Of course it was only to make Johnny jealous, but I still had a lot of fun and Danny was really sweet. I'll even admit, if Johnny wasn't the one I wanted, I'd go out with Danny again in a heartbeat."

This time Kitty didn't hide her grin when she heard Ember let out a growl.

"Don't you dare!"

"Is that the sound of jealousy I hear, Ember?"

"Shut up!"

Kitty could only giggle as she watched Ember turn away with a blush. She then got serious as she walked over towards her friend.

"Ember, I want you to tell me everything that's happened between you and Danny."

Ember was silent for a minute before she told Kitty about the things he said to her, about her music, her voice, her appearance. It made Kitty let out a squeal of excitement.

"Kitty…"

"Aw, that's so cute, Ember!" exclaimed the green-haired girl. "I told you Danny was really sweet! He even went out of his way to beat up Skulker because of how he treats you!"

"H-he's just being a goody-goody hero," replied Ember, not wanting to get her hopes up.

"Don't be like that, Ember. Here's what you need to do! Next time you see Danny, tell him how you feel!"

"I can't do that!" exclaimed Ember, her face a blushing mess.

"Sure you can! It's obvious that you love him (at which Ember's blush got deeper) and it's obvious that Danny cares about you or else he wouldn't say or do these things for you!"

"I…I don't know."

"If you don't, someone else might snatch him up instead. I think that goth girl has a thing for him."

The biker chick gave off a smirk as she watched Ember scowl at the thought of the goth getting her hands on Danny.

"No one is getting Baby-Pop but me!"

"That's the spirit, Ember! Now let's go over how you'll confess to him!"

-:-

The world was recovering. A cataclysmic event almost took place when the Disasteroid almost collided with Earth, almost destroying everything. Luckily, thanks to Danny Phantom's plan to gather up all of the ghosts and turn the planet intangible, every human and ghost were saved from a gruesome end.

In the process though, Danny's secret had been revealed, but any fears and worries he had vanished when his parents accepted him wholeheartedly. It was during this family conversation that Ember and Kitty had found the halfa.

"Hey, Baby-Pop!"

"GHOST!" exclaimed Jack as he pulled out a Fenton Bazooka.

"Dad! If it weren't for the ghosts we'd all be gone right now, remember!" exclaimed Jazz.

"Oh, right. Sorry! Force of habit!"

"We're going to need to work on that, dear," replied Maddie, giving her husband a loving pat on the arm.

Shaking his head in amusement at his family, Danny then turned to the two ghost girls with a smile. "Hey, Ember. Hey, Kitty. I figured you would have gone back to the Ghost Zone with everyone else."

"We would have, but Ember wanted to tell you something," replied Kitty with a smile of her own. She pushed Ember forward, to which the rock diva gave her a glare.

"Really? So what did you need to tell me, Ember?" asked the halfa, a smile on his face.

Seeing the smile, Ember couldn't help but blush a little; something Danny's family took notice of, much to their shock.

"W-Well…do remember what you said to me the first time we met?" asked Ember. Behind her, Kitty couldn't help but facepalmed at the fact that her friend chickened out.

"What I said? Oh yeah! About how you didn't need to brainwash people into liking your music!"

"D-Did you really mean that?"

Danny was becoming confused as to why Ember was suddenly so nervous. "Well yeah. You'd have to be deaf to not hear how amazing your music is."

"And m-my voice. Y-You said it was beautiful."

"Meant every word."

Her blush got deeper. "And d-do you really find me attractive? You said I looked good in that pirate costume."

It was Danny's turn to blush a little as he rubbed the back of his head. "I'd be lying if I said no. Ember, what is all of this about?"

He watched as the rock diva fidgeted. When she looked up into his eyes, she asked a question he was not expecting.

"W-Would you like to go out w-with me?"

Time stood still at that moment and Clockwork had nothing to do with it. Danny (and his family for that matter) was trying to process what was just said. Once it finally did process…

"Wait…why?"

"Why else would I ask you out, Baby-Pop? I like you. I really like you," replied Ember with a pout.

"…But you're Ember McLain! You could have anyone! Why would you want someone like me?" questioned Danny, surprised by what he's hearing.

Ember could only smile as she stepped closer to him. She was glad that he didn't step away from her. "You're the first boy to ever show that they cared for me, Baby-Pop."

"I find that hard to believe," he replied softly.

"It's true. Y-You're the first person who ever told me I could achieve my dream to become a rock star. Y-You're also the first boy who ever said that I was beautiful and meant it. Y-You make me feel good about myself, Baby-Pop, something that I haven't felt even when I was alive."

Upon hearing this and seeing the pain in her eyes, his own eyes narrowed and glowed a bit brighter.

"Who hurt you? Give me their name," stated Danny a slight growl in his voice.

Her eyes widened in surprise, seeing that Danny was willing to go after the people who hurt her in the past. Just like he did with Skulker. With a smile, she wrapped her arms around him.

"You still haven't answered my question, Baby-Pop~"

"And I still think you could do better than me," replied Danny as he wrapped his arms around her protectively.

"You're the one who told me I deserve better and that I deserve to be happy. You fit both of those bills."

Danny let out a sigh. "And this is what you really want?"

"Yup!"

"Then how about we go out this Friday? We'll go wherever you want."

A beaming smile appeared on Ember's face, happy that her Baby-Pop agreed. She then leaned up to kiss the boy who captured her heart. He was surprised by this action, but soon returned the kiss.

"Danny, aren't you going to introduce your friend to us?"

Hearing his mom's voice, Danny and Ember quickly separated. Both of them blushing, Ember hid her face in Danny's shoulder, while Danny looked over towards his family. They looked very amused at the moment. Off to the side, Kitty was having a giggle fit.

"Way to go, Danny-boy! Using that ol' Fenton charm!"

"Dad," groaned out Danny, facepalming. He then looked down at his new girlfriend. "I know this is earlier than you probably expected, but do you want to meet my family?"

The rock diva glanced at them nervously. "They're not going to…you know…"

"They've already accepted that I'm half-ghost and I was actually telling them about some of the ghosts I'm friends with before you and Kitty made an appearance. They won't hurt you and even if they tried I wouldn't allow it."

Hearing that, her worries melted away. Nodding her head, she followed her new boyfriend to meet his family.

She started out as someone who was angry at the world due to how she died, alone and forgotten. But this boy standing next to her showed her that she could still feel loved and she was glad to have met him, even if it was on opposite sides in the beginning. For that, she would always be thankful towards him.

Her Danny.

Her Baby-Pop.

**FIN**

**-:-**

**Seriously, I feel that Ember is an insecure person deep down; given the backstory Butch Hartman has given us about her. I really wish DP was able to go on for another season or two just so we could see Hartman expand on Ember's character.**


End file.
